String musical instrument.



PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

F. P. ALEXANDER.

STRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

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E@ HIT No. 808,802. PATENTE!) JAN. 2, 1906.

' F. P. ALEXANDER.

STRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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S14/venta aitomwnf UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

STRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application led January 30, 1905. Serial No. 243,318.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK P. ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ludington, in the county of Mason and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in String MusicalInstruments; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in stringed musical instruments;and it consists in the novel features of construction, combination, andarrangement of devices hereinafter fully described and claimed.

`One object of my invention is to provide practical and efficient meansfor instantly raising and lowering the tone or pitch of the strings of amusical instrument a predetermined degree or interval, so that in suchstringed instruments as autoharps, dulcimers, and the like when thedegree or interval of the tone through which their strings are raised orlowered is a minor interval or half-tone (or in respect to some stringstwo minor intervals or one maj or interval) the strings maybe sharped orflatted, as desired, to permit the performer to play in different keyswithout bothering about sharps and flats and with the use of the samengered positions for the corresponding chords in the dierent keys.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and convenientchart to be used in connection with such tone or key changing means forthe purpose of indicating the chords in both major and minor keys orscales.

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide a stringed instrument ofthe character hereinafter set forth which will have a sweet voluminoustone and which may be easily performed upon by persons with a limitedknowledge of and capacity for music.

The above and other objects, which will appear as the nature of myinvention is better understood, are accomplished by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a planview of a stringed musical instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same, taken on theline 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view takenon the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one end ofthe instrument, showing the pivoted bridges or frets for the strings andthe chord-indicat ing chart; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of thepivoted string bridges or frets.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings partakes ofthe nature of both harp and a dulcimer and is performed upon by pickingthe strings by hand the same as a harp.

As shown, the instrument comprises a hollow body 1, similar in shape tobut a greater size than an autoharp and having at its top asounding-board 2, formed with an opening or hole 3. This body, which maybe of any ordinary or preferred construction, is 'adapted while beingplayed to be supported upon a table or the like by means of legs 4, andto permit it to be readily carried a suitable supporting-strap or thelike (not shown) ma f be attached to eyes 5, provided at one si e ofsaid body, as shown.

The strings 6, preferably of wire, are stretched over the sounding-board2, and each one has one of its ends secured to the usual hitch-pins 7,disposed at one end of the body 1 and in the present instance in theform of screws. The opposite ends of the strings 6 are secured to andwound upon the usual tuning-pins or keys S, which are disposed-along theopposite end of the body 1. Adjacent to the latter-mentioned end of thebody are arranged two angularly-disposed stationary bridges 9 and 10,each of which consists of a body or block l1, having along its upperedge a metal strip or rod 12, preferably in the form of a piece of steelwire. AdjacentV to that end of the body 1 at which the hitch-pins 7 arelocated is secured upon the top of the sounding-board atransversely-disposed block or strip 13, which forms a support for astationary bridge 14, which consists, preferably, of a piece of heavysteel wire secured upon the top of said block 13 and en: gaged by thestrings or wires 6.

For the purpose of raising the tone or pitch of the strings apredetermined interval or degree, preferably a minor interval orhalf-tone, I provide the block or support 13 with a plurality ofindividual bridges or frets 15 for the said strings, one or more of thesame being provided for each string, as desired. These movable bridgesor frets 15 are adapted to be moved under the strings, so as to shortentheir span, and thereby change their tone or pitch, and they may be ofany desired cone struction that will accomplish this result. As

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shown, they are in the form of short pieces of wire or metal rods bent,as shown, to forni a lower portion 16, which is pivoted in the block orsupport 13, a loop or finger-piece 17, and a laterally-projectingportion 1.8, which is adapted to be moved into and out of engagementwith one of the strings, said portion 18 being disposed beneath itsstring when engaged therewith, as shown. It will be seen that by meansof these individual pivotally-mounted bridges or frets the tone or pitchof the string may be instantly7 raised. a predetermined degree-that is,a minor interval or half-tone-and those strings which have two of suchindividual bridges or frets may be instantly raised two minor or onemajor interval. By means of this construction the tone or pitch of thestrings may be instantly sharped or ilatted, so that the performer mayplay in any key without the necessity of bothering ab out sharps andflats and with the use of the same 'lingered positions of thecorresponding chords in the various keys.

The natural or open key of the instrument-that is, the key to which theinstrument is tuned without bringing any of the individual bridges orfrets into use-is preferably the scale br key of E-flat-that is, eachstring lettered B, E, and A upon the block or support 13 is flatted. Itwill be seen that when the bridges or frets 15 for the A-strings areengaged with the latter the instrument will be in the key of B-flat.Similarly by throwing the ones under E-flat strings the latter arechanged to E and the instrument is thrown into the scale or key of F,and by similarly changing the B-'i'lat strings the key of the instrumentwill be changed to C, as it is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.Then the instrument is in this key, the various other keys may bereadily obtained by simply sharping and flatting the proper strings bymeans of said bridges or frets 15, as will be readily understood.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the movable bridges or frets 15in changing the instrument from one key to another and for the purposeof indicating the several positions of the various major and minor keys,chords, or scales, I provide a movable chart 20 upon the sounding-board2 beneath the strings and adjacent to the block 13. This chart 20 isrectangular in form and is slidably mounted in a transversely-disposedsupporting-guide 21,secured at each of its ends to the l body 1 of theinstrument and having its bottom or under side spaced from thesoundingboard 2. At one side of the support 21 on the sounding-board 2are printed or otherwise marked the letters of the various stringssimilar to the lettering upon the block 13. The sliding chart 20 has itsupper face ruled or marked, as shown at 22, to correspond to the strings6, and upon said marks 22 are placed the numerals which in dicate thedifferent positions of a chord, the inajofchord being on one side andthe minor upon the other, as shown. For instance, the strings of thefirst or tonic chord are indicated by the numeral l' 1,77 while thestrings of the second or dominant chord are design ated by the numeral"2, &c. Each major chord has one note sharped that is not sharped in itscorresponding minor chord, and the single star on the chart will alwaysindicate that particular string, so that the change from the major keyto its corresponding minor key may be quickly done by simply turning`the bridge or fret 15 of the string indicated by the star; but inchanging from one major key to another the chart 2O must be movedlongitudinally, so that the three stars 24 upon the chart will be movedunder the letter of the key in which it is desired to play. Since thestrings are sharped or flatted according to the sharps or flats in thekey in which it is desired to perform, the same fingered positions ofthe chords as indicated on the chart may be used in the various keys. Inother words, all inajor chords are fingered exactly alike according tothe fingers on the chart, the only difference being a shift of position.Hence in learning to play the instrument it is only necessary to learntwo chords-one major and one minoras indicated on the chart. This willpermit a person to play in eight major keys with the same fingering andtheir accompanying relative eight minor keys with the same fingering.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, tlie construction, operation, and advantages ofmy invention will be readily understood without a more extendedexplanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to theconstruction herein set forth, since various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention., what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-4 1. The combination of a sounding-board, aplurality of strings stretched thereover between fixed bridges, and aplurality of removable individual bridges or frets for said strings,said individual bridges or frets comprising a wire linger-loop, alaterallyprojecting portion and a shank or lower portion, the latterbeing pivotally mounted intermediate said stationary bridges and saidlaterally-projecting portions adapted to be swung under said strings forthe purpose of varying the length of their vibratory portions andthereby changing their tones.

2. A musical instrument comprising a hol- IOO ITO

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low body having a sounding-board, hitchpins at one end of said body,tuning-pins or keys at its other end, stationary bridges adjacent toeach end of said body, strings stretched over said sounding-board andsaid bridges and engaged with said tuning and hitch pins, and aplurality of removable pivotally-mounted individual bridges or frets forsaid strings disposed intermediate said stationary bridges said fretsconsisting of wire finger-loops, a lower pivoted portion, and laterallyprojecting portions adapted to be swung under said strings to vary thelengths of their vibratory portions, substantially as described.

3. A musical instrument comprising a hollow body having asounding-board, hitchpins at one end of said body, tuning-pins or keysat its other end, stationary bridges adjacent to each end of said body,strings stretched over said sounding-board and said bridges and engagedwith said tuning and hitch pins, a plurality of removable pivottionadapted to fit a hole in the soundingboard, said bridges or frets beingdisposed intermediate said stationary bridges and having portionsadapted to be swung under said strings to vary the length of theirvibratory portions and a movable chord -indicating chart upon said body,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a stringed musical instrument having adjustablemeans for varying the length of the vibratory portion of one or more ofits strings for the purpose of changing their tone or pitch, of a charttransversely slidable with respect to and under the strings of saidinstrument, said chart having means for indicating the chords of themajor and the minor keys, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. Trai FRANK P. ALEXANDER@ Witnesses 1 ETTA AnNoTT,M. F. BUTTERS.

